THE Daihatsu Sirion Rally 2 isn't very good.
There's no point in beating around the bush, there's very little to praise with this supermini.
Plus points are price - it costs less than £10k - and it's quite quick. Apart from that there's diddly squat to enjoy.
When it comes to Daihatsu's I've got plenty of experience behind the wheel, as last week's model was my fourth in two years.
My opinion on them varies between 'can't stand' to 'quite like'.
The latest vehicle, the 1.3 Rally 2, certainly falls into the first category. Of the others I also hated the Sirion 1.3 F-Speed, found the 1.3 YRV okay, while the YRV F-Speed was quite enjoyable.
So what's wrong with the Rally 2?
For a start it looks comical, something like a cross between Postman Pat's van and a hot hatch.
To give the boxy-looking Rally 2 a performance car appearance, the Sirion has been lowered, fitted with alloy wheels, a sporty looking mesh grille and chrome-effect touches. It just doesn't work.
The Rally 2 is also unpleasant to drive. Yes the Sirion has been given a performance boost to 108 PS, and yes it has a decent 0-60mph time of a little over eight seconds - albeit the engine whines like crazy when you accelerate hard.
But to drive it is a very uncomfortable experience. The weighting of the steering is appalling, and the system is so unresponsive it left me far from convinced it would go in the direction I was aiming at. The fact there is no steering wheel adjustment facility just adds to the problems.
If you like a slick gearbox then prepare to be disappointed. Gear changing in the Rally 2 was very stiff and required a major physical effort.
There have been a number of modifications to the Sirion to produce the Rally 2, but I can't agree they've produced anything like a decent sporty drive.
For instance front and rear springs have been stiffened by 15 per cent, and ride height reduced by 20mm in a bid to improve handling and ride quality, but neither of these are attributes the Rally 2 posesses.
Combine all this with an interior which feels cheap and poorly put together and it is not too hard to guess how many stars out of five I'm going to give the Rally 2.
But wait a second. Being one to always try and find the positives in the situation, I can say the Rally 2 does have a couple of other things going for it in the form of decent economy and low CO2 ratings.
But there's nowhere near enough plusses to give this car the thumbs up.
FAST FACTS
Daihatsu Sirion 1.3-litre Rally 2
Price: £9,995
Mechanical: 108PS, 1,298cc, 4cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 5spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 115mph
0-60mph: 8.1secs
Combined mpg: 46.5
Insurance Group: 10
C02 emissions: 144g/km
BiK Rating: 15%
Warranty: 3yrs/ unlimited mileage; 6yrs anti-rust